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Government
Study Says
Work and Pain Linked
NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - No one knows better than working men and women that
work can be a real pain. Now, a report commissioned by Congress
provides the strongest scientific evidence to date that there
may be a relationship between a person's job and physical ailments
such as low-back pain.
According
to the report, construction laborers, carpenters, and operators
of industrial truck and tractor equipment lead the list of high-risk
jobs for men. Women who work as nurses or in nursing support,
as domestic or commercial cleaners, or do janitorial work are
also most likely to experience a host of musculoskeletal disorders.
The report,
conducted by the National Research Council and the Institute of
Medicine of the National Academies, is the most comprehensive
yet on the scientific relationship between work and musculoskeletal
disorders--the medical term that encompasses health problems involving
muscles, joints, spinal disks, cartilage, tendons and ligaments.
``Roughly
2,500 scientific articles relating to work and musculoskeletal
disorders were culled and reviewed before the final report was
made,'' said Dr. Jeremiah A. Barondess, president of the New York
Academy of Medicine, in an interview with Reuters Health. Barondess
chaired the committee of 19 scientists who authored the report.
``The report
is a very considerable review of the state-of-the-art science
concerning the link between occupation and disorders of the low
back and upper extremities,'' he added.
Not only did
the research team evaluate the physical work stressors, such as
heavy lifting, they also ``considered in detail the psychological
and social aspects of individuals and how they contribute to risks
and actual outcomes, like developing low-back pain for instance,''
Barondess explained.
While factors
including obesity, gender, age, and smoking habits played a significant
role in whether or not a person developed musculoskeletal disorders,
Barondess noted that organizational factors including the amount
of control a person had over their job, work pace, and co-worker
relationships ''also play an important role.''
The report
places an emphasis on the demands of the workplace and less emphasis
on the individual worker.
``There is
a clear relationship between type of workplace demands--like heavy
lifting, frequent bending and twisting, for instance--and low-back
pain,'' said committee member Dr. David H. Wegman of the University
of Massachusetts in Lowell, in an interview with Reuters Health.
``Job types
that expose the worker to repetition, vibrations and excessive
force are more related to upper-extremity disorders including
numbness, tingling, coldness or weakness in the hands and wrist
pain,'' Wegman explained.
``We are still
trying to better understand the role computers have on upper-extremity
disorder,'' he said.
Finally, the
report analyzed various methods and strategies to reduce the impact
of musculoskeletal disorders on workers. Above all, worker involvement
in any solution is ``very, very important,'' Barondess commented.
``One important
aspect of intervention would be redesigning the way the job is
done to reduce stressors. Raising a table to waist height to eliminate
bending over or limiting the amount of weight that is to be lifted
can have important positive effects,'' Wegman said.
For workers
who are stuck at computers all day long, it is ''important for
them to take frequent breaks and be mindful of correct positioning
of their computer keyboards,'' he added.
In 1999, nearly
one million people took time away from work to treat and recover
from work-related muscle and joint pain or impairment of function
in the low back or upper extremity, according to the report.
Musculoskeletal
disorders account for nearly 70 million physician visits in the
United States annually, and an estimated 130 million total healthcare
encounters including outpatient, hospital and emergency department
visits, the executive summary of the report states.
``This is
a very serious matter that needs to be addressed,'' Wegman told
Reuters Health. ``This report provides the scientific evidence
needed to support and make policy judgments, as well as for establishing
future scientific research programs.'
Reference
Source 89
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